Samantha Elmer, 33, was arrested by FBI agents Tuesday evening at the airport in Kansas City, Mo. She is currently held in the Leavenworth Detention Center until a detention hearing on Monday.

All Douglas County charges have been dropped against a Lawrence woman accused of fleeing the country to avoid losing custody of her two daughters, the district attorney’s office said.

Cheryl Wright Kunard, assistant to Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson, said the charges against Samantha Elmer, 33, were dropped once federal investigators became involved.

“Our office worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on the matter, and once they agreed to take over the case our state case was dismissed in reference to their federal prosecution,” she said.

Elmer is accused of flying to Europe in late October with her two daughters, ages 9 and 11, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.

A week before she left the country, Elmer’s ex-husband and father of the two girls, Justin Bush, filed for sole custody in Johnson County District Court. The court scheduled a custody hearing for Nov. 4. Elmer was also scheduled for a hearing on felony theft charges in Johnson County District Court.

Samantha Elmer, 33, was arrested by FBI agents Tuesday evening at the airport in Kansas City, Mo. She is currently held in the Leavenworth Detention Center until a detention hearing on Monday.

On Oct. 29, a Lawrence Police officer went to Elmer’s home to check on the children, who were reported absent the past six days of school from Eudora Elementary. Investigators determined that on Oct. 26 Elmer and her daughters flew from Chicago to Vienna, Austria, through Istanbul, Turkey.

While she was in Europe, Elmer’s current husband, Rodney Elmer wired her a total of about $1,100 on three separate occasions, according to the complaint. The couple reportedly communicated through a mutual friend in Overland Park who also helped facilitate the money transfers. No charges have been filed against Rodney Elmer or the friend.

Elmer returned to the United States with her children and was arrested by FBI agents Tuesday evening at the airport in Kansas City, Mo., said Matt Cahill, chief deputy of the U.S. Marshal Service of Kansas.

The girls were reunited with their father at his home in Smithville, Mo. Bush said it’s amazing to have his daughters back and that they are in good spirits.

Elmer was booked into the Platte County Jail Tuesday evening until she could be transferred into the custody of the U.S. Marshals, Cahill said. She is currently held in the Leavenworth Detention Center until Monday when she is scheduled for a detention hearing.

Samantha Elmer is charged in federal court with one count of leaving the country with the purpose of denying parental rights, said Jim Cross, public information officer for U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom in the Federal District of Kansas. If she is convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.